Coyote Poems

In many of the First Nation's (Native American) traditions I am acquainted with, the coyote represents a trickster, master of misdirection, contradiction, and general deviousness (though usually in a good way). Those who are practitioners of "coyote medicine" might even be found entering a circle walking or riding backwards as a visible sign of their journey. Now, I want to be very clear about this. I do not represent myself as a "coyote medicine" person. Nor, do I claim these poems to be indicative of "coyote medicine." After some time on the trails and writing "Little Pup" I got the idea in my head of doing this page, and these are simply the poems which came to mind. Having said that, you need to realize, in the spirit of coyote, I pretty much have free license to take you for a ride here. So, you will notice this book is quite different from the other Poetry & Pictures books. Along with the poems which came to mind, I started having some Scripture verses crop up as well. This is my version of the combo meal.

I have a friend, Jim Two Feathers, whose medicine is "Coyote medicine." I emailed him some time back asking for a quote to describe it. I was looking for a couple of sentences, or a paragraph at most. I should have remembered I was asking coyote. If you are not thoroughly confused by the time you finish reading my poems and the Scripture quotes, Jim's response to my request will make things clear as mud. All kidding aside though, someplace in this mass of information, I hope you can be "tricked" into having your life touched in a very special way.

From: Jim TwoFeathers
Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2003 4:21 AM
To: william

The closest western method to what I do is what a psychologist friend of mine called "Spirit Gestalt". Coyote is pretty Red through and through. My job is to trick you first by telling you that’s what I am doing. When I stand in front of you and draw a clockwise circle in the air and ask you which direction I am drawing, you say clockwise. Yet if you move to my side of the circle as I am drawing it you see that I am drawing a counter clockwise circle. It's all about how we see The Circle!!!

Most western methods see a person as ill and in need to become "normal", "well". I say you are not broken and I teach only three things - Respect you completely without question. Trust you completely without question and to Accept you just as you are without ANY change. Why wouldn’t the Creator want any less from us. To aspire is truly a disrespectful act because it says you are not enough and you will always look to next week to find your way. We natives see us as born whole and life is about recognizing that, and as we do that we begin to "Live in Our Own Skin". We spend a lifetime in search for our Destiny or Way when it has been standing beside us all along. We are who we have always been and that will never change no matter how many books we read. Our Past is just our Story. When we truly see this, is when we realize that there is only One Way to get where we are!! And that is the way we came!!

We live in a time of separation of church and state, which are both right and the greatest wrong. We as a people could never separate Spirit from our lives. And the closest thing we have to a religion is Our Personal Walk With Spirit!!!!!! All the methods I have looked into have a terrible time maintaining the distance that is said to be needed between the body mind and Spirit. Western medicines have their place because they are here yet they always see the "illness" and the separation. Healing is always about Walking your Truth and seeing that Body Mind and Spirit all walk the same path. The Earth is our Mother and the Sky is our Father and our Spirit is the glue that holds it all together. We are one in Spirit.

Mvto (Thanks)

Hokolen Tvfu (TwoFeathers)

Christianity invites us to live an intuitively counterintuitive life. There can be no "logic of faith" for a faith that does not abide by the logics of philosophy. The Lifted Up One, the One who sits high and walks low, taught that the thoroughfare to God is full of bypaths and back roads.

The way up is down.
The way in is out.
The way first is last.
The way of success is service.
The way of attainment is relinquishment.
The way of strength is weakness.
The way of security is vulnerability.
The way of protection is forgiveness (even seventy times seven).
The way of life is the way of death - death to self, society, family.
Know your strengths. Why? Because that's the only way: you can Lay Them Down!
God's power is made perfect. . . where? In our weakness.
Want to get the most? Go to where the least is.
Want to be free? Give complete control to God.
Want to become great? Become least.
Want to discover yourself? Forget your self.
Want honor? "Honor yourself with humility."
Want to "get even" with enemies? Bless and love them.

For Jesus, it was not enough to turn the other cheek. One had to turn the hands and feet as well in doing good to that person. To a world obsessed with power, the gospel is nuts. To a world obsessed with success, Jesus' teaching is nuts.